Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"Our work-a-day lives are filled with opportunities to bless others.  The power of a single glance or an encouraging smile must never be underestimated."

~ G. Richard Rieger

Tip for a Tuesday....

"Best Step 2ft Square Interlocking Foam Mats"

Need a little padding underfoot?

Look no further than these wonderful mats.

For the Grandkids' room

In the garage

The Englishman purchased these at Home Depot.

The wee ones love to play on them in their room at our house.

The Englishman has also placed the colorful ones in the attic, allowing for easier crawling around and shifting of boxes.

Available in packets of four pieces. Easily snap together.

Highly recommend them!

Friday Fotos....

"Bumper" crop of tiny carrots - harvested by M

Traveling stance....

The "dog days of summer" find Dudley finally on the mend.

"Blue skies, smiling at me......."

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend and may the cool temperatures continue for us all!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

The Englishman, daughter #1 and I saw this painting in a shop a few weeks after my Mother passed away last year on August 20th.

There were wooden angel wings on either side of it where it hung in the shop 

and it immediately brought tears to my eyes.  I confess, I had to step outside and have a good cry.

My dear, sweet Englishman had daughter #1 purchase it for me as a surprise,

when she and I returned to the shop later that month.

(Bit tricky getting it into the back seat of my mini cooper - thankfully we were able to put the roof top down and maneuver it in!)

The photo of my Mother and I on my calendar was taken during a three week car trip across the United States with my parents and sister in 1976.  The Englishman thoughtfully included it in the annual calendar he has made up for me, knowing August in particular, would bring back a flood of memories.

I hung the painting over my desk so I could have it close to me during the day.

I also wanted it in a spot where the grandchildren would see it - 

directly across from where they sit at the kitchen table. 

What a wonderful message for them to practice those early reading skills on!

Tip for a Tuesday....

Parents, Grandparents and Teachers:

The Read To Kids app

In looking for a way to record stories for my granddaughters to listen to when I'm not there, the Englishman discovered this app.  And I can honestly say that it is just fabulous!

Stated on the website: https://www.beesneststudios.com/readtokids/

"The Read To Kids app is a voice recording tool to help you create custom audio books for your children. It includes a simple interface to allow you to add a sound indicator when your child should turn each page. The usage is customizable to allow you to choose from a list of page turn sounds and to set the wait time to allow your child to turn the page."

We downloaded it to my phone. I then chose a few of my favorite children's books from among our numerous bookshelves, and one I remember their mother just loved, Bread and Jam for Francis.

The directions are clear and simple.  I was able to record each story, then play it back to be sure I had it just right.

Easy Peasy.

Another great element of the app is that you can then email the recording, which is a wonderful feature for a grandparent who lives some distance from their lovable wee ones.

As a former teacher, I think this would be a useful tool in the classroom for helping young students sharpen their reading skills or for a listening center.

And at only $0.99, I think it's a real bargain!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"Do not be so open-minded 

that your brains fall out."

~ G. K. Chesterton

English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist

- author of the Father Brown series

Tip for a Tuesday....

Time to check the medicine cabinet!

After years of being a student, Teacher and mother of three, I always consider the month of 

September, which is fast approaching, to be the beginning of a New Year.  

And among the many tasks to perform in order to start the year off right is 

organizing the medicine cabinet.

Checking supply amounts and expiration dates are easily done.

Add to the shopping list those items that are running low in supply and

properly dispose of expired medications.

(Detailed information is available online regarding proper disposal.)

Better to be prepared than have to run to the store.

Because nine times out of ten, a need always seems to arise after the stores have closed.

Friday Fotos....

These lovely blooms came from.....

this gorgeous hydrangea.  

It was transplanted early in the Spring from across the front yard.

For years, it was merely a mass of twisted branches.

Basking in the sunshine, surrounded by the heavenly scented lavender below, it is now thriving!

More loveliness from the front garden.

My very first orchid - a gift from a very dear friend.

So far, so good.....

Our "boy" Dudley.

He has had an incredibly difficult few days, battling an Addison's episode, "hot spot" under his chin and a urinary infection.  All warranted two rushed visits to the vets where he received several tests, shots and two antibiotic prescriptions.

The Englishman kept watch over him all through the night last night to be sure he was OK.

Bentley, Dudley's sidekick, has kept watch with him.

I confess, I actually cried with joy this morning when he finally peed outside for the first time in far too many hours.

Fingers crossed that the worst is over and he will be his old self soon!

Wishing everyone a sunny and peaceful weekend.

And please, take a moment to say a prayer for all our military personnel!  They need all the support we can give.

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

David Wilson - Former Giants Football Running Back

I was so moved by the remarks David Wilson made at his press conference yesterday, when he bid a very emotional farewell to the team he loves due to a serious condition in his neck and spine, that I want to share the opening statement of this truly inspiring young man. 

"Hey everybody. I'm not really prepared to answer a lot of questions today but I'll try to do my best on some of them. I'm going to start by saying that at a young age I had a dream to play in the NFL. I did that, I played in the NFL and I scored touchdowns and I broke tackles and I broke and set records. I practiced with my teammates, got to play for Coach Coughlin, got drafted by the Giants. So at no point should anybody feel like this is over because in life everything has obstacles. We all go through our own obstacles every day. The main thing is, when you're going through those obstacles, to stay focused and embrace faith and keep your dreams. Even if one dream seems to fade away, set another goal and set another dream and try to reach that. That's the main thing.
...
Any time... life will knock you down sometimes. I realize that I knew that since a young age. Everything hasn't been smooth sailing for me hardly ever. I try to put the smile on my face and make other people happy. That's what I enjoy in life. I continue living. When life knocks you down, I always say plan to land on your back because if you can look up, you can get up. But if you're flat on your face, that can kill your spirit. Always think of it in that aspect - if you can look up, you can get up. So far, I can look up and I plan on getting up and living my dream and setting another one for me to live out."  David Wilson


This quote was taken from the following website. The full text can be found here:
http://www.bigblueview.com/2014/8/6/5976483/david-wilson-press-conference-08-06-14-ny-giants-news

Tip for a Tuesday....

Always wear a WHITE t-shirt when using bleach...

                                    or you may very well end up with a mid-60's tie dye shirt.
                     
                                                                                             

Monday Memory....

Life's a bit of a circle, at times....

The first house the Englishman and I moved into several months after our wedding, was in the tiny town of Saddle River, NJ.  

It was for us, at that time, the perfect place to begin our life together.

A brick ranch house, with several additions, it sat in the middle of a one acre plot, the only house on the left hand side of a long, private lane.

I was familiar with the area, having worked for six years at a day camp located a few miles down the road from our new location.  Among the new things I was exposed to while living in the town, was their local paper: The Town Journal

It was far thinner than the local paper I had grown up with, The Pascack Valley Community Life.  But like the Community Life, it featured short stories about the residents of four towns, ads for local businesses and sports articles.  

After a former President moved into town, the value of the houses increased dramatically and I discovered we could purchase a much larger house for less money in other towns, so we moved again after five years on the Lane. Leaving behind the Town Journal.

Until today -  the first day the new Editor of the Town Journal takes the helm.

And who just happens to be, our youngest daughter.

See how it came around?

You may wonder how she got into the newspaper business.  

Quick story....

Daughter #3 applied for a job as a "Sports Writer" at the Community Life, the local paper I, and she, grew up with.  She interviewed with the Editor, who she noted to the family was extremely nice and put her right at ease, and was accepted for the position.  She actually began working several weeks before her college graduation.  Clever girl!  You can imagine how pleased and relieved the Englishman and I were about that.

She very much enjoyed her time with Community Life and over the years has moved up in the company, working on several other local papers, before taking on this new position.

But she's never forgotten her roots at Community Life.

Actually, it would be hard to.

That nice young Editor she interviewed with?

She married him two years ago.

*Facebook photos courtesy of North Jersey Media Group

Friday Fotos....

Busy week....

I "pinned" a photo of a paneled look created with molding strips onto my "For the Home" board on Pinterest.  After showing it to the Englishman the other day,  he said he could do something quite similar, quite easy.

And here are the results of his labors:

Isn't it fabulous? Talented man my Englishman.

I love the textural feel it gives to the wall and hallway.

And it demonstrates that I am not wasting my time while "pinning" - good ideas can be found!

 Blueberries from our small bush and the tiniest carrots I've ever seen from our raised growing bed.

Swiss chard from Argos Farm. Nature's colors are just beautiful!

Look at the stripe in that stalk!

Treated myself to a delphinium plant this week.  I love how the color just pops next to the white fence.

Can you believe it is already August?

Wishing everyone a safe, peaceful and dry weekend!